Alright, I think I've finally decided on what I need in my next PC, as well as have the money ready to go.
Your Current Specs: Q6600, 4Gb RAM, 460gtx, 1440x900 monitor
Budget: Around $1000 in
Australia
Main Use: Heavy gaming, Steam, Dolphin, media playback, little bit of Photoshop, C++ and music mixing.
Monitor Resolution: 1400x900 for now. Looking at
this 1920x1200 24 inch LED down the track
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Skyrim, The Witcher 2 on Uber
Are reusing any parts?: ASUS VW193D monitor, Logitech X-530 5.1 speakers, Logitech G-930 7.1 wireless headphones, Logitech MK700 key+mouse, 2Tb Green drive for media storage, 460gtx.
When will you build?: Within the next 2 months. Before The Witcher 2.0 preferably.
Will you be overclocking?: Absolutely yes on the CPU.
Looking to retire my current PC to my parents to avoid constant phone calls about their POS machine. At least this way I will understand the system and be able to talk them through it easier. Will swap out the 460 for my old 9800 that was still working fine.
Basically I have settled on an
i5 2500k with a
212+ overclocking somewhere over 4Ghz depending on noise levels. This will be the most impressive upgrade I get the impression. Looking forward to multi-tracking and emulation with the 2500k.
Keeping the 460 I bought nearly 12 months ago as it seems to do the job fine, will look to upgrade to a mid range card in another 12 months or more depending on how far up requirements go by then.
Going with some 1333Mhz
G-Skill 2x4Gb RAM as it's at a good price.
Will pick up a
Crucial M4 128Gb since they haven't had any problems and the recent firmware release pushed up the speeds. Will be used for OS, Steam and programs that I use every day.
Really want decent sound so the
Xonar DG seems like a great option. Also grabbing a
Noctua fan for the case as I want to keep it pretty quiet and a cheap
Samsung DVD drive as my current one is going great. Love the look of the
CM 690 II Advanced.
I THINK that I will grab a
HX-650 PSU as I won't ever go for SLI or a top of the line GPU. It's modular which should help make the install easier and hopefully it runs quiet. Certainly open to other alternatives though since it is still $140.
Tossing up now over either the ASUS
P8Z68-V or the
P8Z68-V LE. I don't fully understand the $40 difference, will the built in bluetooth of the V mean I can do away with my dongle for Dolphin? Are there any other benefits in it for me?
Next is mouse and keyboard. My study is between the 2 bedrooms so I would love to find the quietest keyboard available.
This one seems nice and remarks that it is quiet, no idea in this area though. Mouse is less of a worry as I don't play competitive MP so would prefer wireless, preferably with at least 2 extra buttons. Looking at a
Mamba for no reason other than it looking really nice and having an impressive list of features, no idea if those features actually make it worth the money though.
Hopefully I haven't made any obvious mistakes and the choice of motherboard is a simple one.